AT&T influence extends far in D.C.

AT&T’s purchase of T-Mobile may or may not be a boon for shareholders and wireless users, but two groups are almost sure to win big: lawmakers and the lobbyists paid to influence them.

Even in “normal” years, AT&T outspends most of its competitors to win over Congress and federal regulators — stepping up its game in election years with the use of a PAC that outspent all but three others in any industry in the 2010 cycle.

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Now, with the $39 billion T-Mobile deal on the table, telecom insiders and campaign-finance experts are braced for AT&T to pull out all the stops.

“They’re a behemoth. They’re one of the most powerful political entities in the United States, hands down, and it’s not just in one realm,” said Dave Levinthal, communications director for the Center for Responsive Politics. “What that says is that if they find themselves before the federal government — if they have a major issue such as getting approval for a merger like this — they have incredible resources to bring to bear.”

AT&T’s PAC spent $3.2 million in 2009 and 2010 strategically targeting influential new members, returning lawmakers and congressional leaders on panels of jurisdiction from both parties.

House Energy and Commerce Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.), telecom panel chief Greg Walden (R-Ore.) and all but two of the members on Walden’s committee cashed checks from AT&T this past cycle. Only Reps. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) did not, although both did receive AT&T contributions in previous elections.

So too did half of the Senate’s top antitrust panel collect AT&T cash last cycle – although not Chairman Herb Kohl (D-Wis.), who called for a hearing on AT&T and wireless competition on Sunday.

And every member of the Senate Commerce Committee — including Chairman John Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) and freshmen GOP Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida, John Boozman of Arkansas, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania and Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire — has in his or her career collected AT&T campaign cash.

Money doesn’t guarantee a free pass; Rockefeller is also among the Democrats who have called for a hearing on the T-Mobile deal. But it can buy access.

“Their own in-house guys and their external guys together can reach any office they need,” said a telecom lobbyist who previously represented AT&T. “The relationships are already there; the friendships are already there.”

AT&T may need all the help it can get as the federal review of its bid for T-Mobile gets underway. In the months ahead, the merger will undergo intense scrutiny from both the FCC and Department of Justice, which must determine if the acquisition — which would make AT&T the largest wireless provider in the country — benefits the public and doesn’t threaten competition.

Both AT&T and T-Mobile signaled in a joint statement Sunday that the federal review could wrap up favorably in about 12 months, but the battle could easily turn vicious. If it does, AT&T is sure to tap its vast Washington resources as it seeks to make its case over the long haul.